Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, has assured Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, of Greece’s “full support” for his government in a telephone call on Monday.
Mitsotakis told Zelenskyy that “Greece would send aid and receive Ukrainian refugees as well as from the Greek diaspora.”
Held talks with 🇬🇷 PM @kmitsotakis. Reported on the course of countering Russian aggression. We appreciate defense, humanitarian support of 🇬🇷. Stressed the need to ensure the work of humanitarian corridors, especially in Mariopol. Also discussed 🇺🇦 movement towards EU membership
On the topic of the Greek diaspora, Mitsotakis noted the need to open a humanitarian corridor for the safe exit of civilians from cities such as Mariupol.
The Greek Prime Minister also told Zelenskyy he wanted to ensure the Greek Consul General and others trapped in the OSCE building in Mariupol could move freely.
Dramatic appeal for help by ethnic Greeks in Mariupol:
This telephone call comes as the President of the Federation of Greek Associations in Ukraine, Alexandra Protsenko, made a dramatic appeal the international community to mobilise to prevent the imminent extermination of Ukraine’s Greek communities.
The Ukrainian military has been defending Mariupol for more than a week. Photo: AP / Mstyslav Chernov.
According to Keep Talking Greek, Protsenko sent a letter to CNN Greece, from an underground shelter in Mariupol, which denounced the “genocide of the Ukrainian people and the Greeks of Ukraine by the Russian Federation.”
The President then called on the international community to organise a “green corridor” for the evacuation of Greeks “from settlements surrounded by the enemy,” as well as “the provision of humanitarian aid.”
More than 2,500 residents have already been killed in the port city of Mariupol since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych said on Monday.
People fleeing the conflict in Ukraine cross the Moldova-Ukraine border checkpoint near the town of Palanca. Picture: AFP.
After several days of failed attempts to deliver supplies to Mariupol and provide safe passage out for trapped civilians,ABC News has reported that a convoy of over 160 cars left the city on Monday.
This appears to be the first successful attempt to arrange a “humanitarian corridor” to evacuate civilians from the encircled Ukrainian city.
Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, has tested positive for COVID-19.
“I will be self-isolating in my home and work from there,” the Prime Minister said in a video posted to Instagram.
“Triple vaccination provides the best possible protection against serious disease. I’m sure everything will go well and I will be back in the office very soon.”
Mitsotakis has tested positive for COVID-19.
The diagnosis comes just one day after Mitsotakis visited Istanbul in Turkey and met with Turkish President Erdogan and the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.
On Twitter, Mitsotakis said Erdogan had wished him a speedy recovery from the virus during a phone call.
Thank you President @RTErdogan for your call and your kind wishes for a speedy recovery!
Excitement is growing amongst Sydney’s Greek community as much-loved international singer, Melina Aslanidou, prepares to hit the stage at Enmore Theatre on Wednesday, March 16 at 7pm.
Aslanidou arrived in Sydney last Thursday night and hasn’t wasted any time mingling with her local fans and sending a message to all Greek Australians ahead of her concert.
Speaking at a press conference organised by The Greek Festival of Sydney and the Greek Orthodox Community of NSW (GOCNSW), Aslanidou expressed her joy at arriving in Australia and congratulated the local diaspora for maintaining their Greek culture and traditions.
Melina Aslanidou at the press conference on Friday afternoon. All photos: The Greek Herald / Andriana Simos.
“I was born outside of Greece in Germany and so I have an accurate understanding of how it feels to live away from your homeland but for it to be a part of who you are wherever you are,” Aslanidou said.
“So it will be my pleasure to put all my feelings as a Greek into songs which showcase our homeland, our culture, our ethos and our traditions because it is very important to never forget our traditions.
“We are all one… and I congratulate you all because you are far from the homeland but you have brought Greece here [to Australia] and promote our culture…”
Festival Chair, Nia Kateris (left) facilitated a Q&A segment with Aslanidou.
Later, during a Q&A segment facilitated by Festival Chair Nia Kateris, the Greek singer talked openly about what people can expect from her upcoming concert and stressed that “it will be magical.”
In response to a question from The Greek Herald, Aslanidou, who has Pontian heritage, also gave an insight into whether she will be performing any Pontian songs at her concert to mark the 100th anniversary of the Asia Minor Catastrophe this year.
“In my shows, I always have a Pontian song in honour of my roots and can guarantee there will be one on Wednesday night as well. A song sung with love and devoted to all Pontians worldwide and all those who love our music,” Aslanidou said.
“So I can’t wait for us to be united [at the concert] and for us to become one voice.”
*All photos and video copyright The Greek Herald / Andriana Simos.
In late 2015, Dr Essam Daod found himself standing on a beach on the Greek island of Lesvos as numerous small boats, filled with hundreds of Syrian refugees, approached the shore.
In an interview with ABC RN’s Sunday Extra, Dr Daod details how over the course of a year, he witnessed “unspeakable suffering” on Lesvos as almost one million displaced Syrians arrived on the island in an attempt to flee the civil war and ISIS.
This, he explained, inspired him and his wife to set up Humanity Crew, an organisation devoted to making mental health a priority in humanitarian crisis responses.
“If we want to help someone going through trauma, we need also to take care of his mind. And not only his basic needs [of] food and shelter,” the psychiatrist told the ABC program about why he launched Humanity Crew.
Nowadays, Humanity Crew volunteers continue to operate in Greece, training thousands of people and mental health professionals in psychosocial work.
There’s also an online clinic, run by mental health professionals, which aims to help refugees with their mental health wherever they are.
The Greek Football Federation is eyeing off Australian youngster Dimitri Valkanis, who is the son of former Socceroo Michael Valkanis.
According to FTBL, the 16-year-old is currently turning heads in Athens as he plays with AEK’s Under 17s team, but Dimitri is so far resisting all overtures as he only has eyes for the green and gold.
“Now I have my Greek passport I was approached to join a Greece U-17s (talent identification) camp, but really all I want to do is play for Australia,” the ex-Melbourne City rookie told FTBL.
“They’re still looking at me and still want me but my heart is really with Australia.”
In his first year at AEK, Dimitri has helped the U-17s reach the end-of-season national semi-finals where they face Aris, with the promise of facing PAOK in the final.
Dimitri is the son of former Socceroo, Michael Valkanis.
Dimitri says his success is down to his “different” playing style, as well as the influence of his dad Michael.
“I’ve watched my dad playing as a kid and that’s what gave me a love for football,” the Adelaide-born centre-back said.
“I want to try and copy what he achieved and maybe one day play for even bigger and better clubs.”
For his part, Dimitri’s dad says his son is “certainly a bit different” and he’s “more than happy he wants to represent Australia.”
“When he told me I got goose-bumps. I was really proud of that,” the former Socceroo star concluded.
The Greek Community of Melbourne (GCM) will hold a panel discussion entitled Sexism, Misogyny and the Migrant Woman, at the Greek Centre on Thursday, March 17 at 7pm, as part of its Greek History and Culture Seminars series.
The facilitators of the panel will be Professor Joy Damousi and Dina Gerolymou, while the panelists will be Melina Mallos, Fotini Kypraios, Anatoli Amanatides and Alkistis Pitsaki.
This panel discussion will examine notions of sexism and misogyny in relation to migrant women in Australia.
Drawing from their experiences and those of Greek women in Australia from past generations, the four panellists will look into the absence of migrant women voices from the current public discourse, the biases and stereotypes that persist, and the new faces of sexism and misogyny.
The panel will also delve into the limited voices and, in many cases, exclusion of CALD women from the public discussion, and even institutions, in an era dominated by diversity.
Who are the panellists?
Melina Mallos:
Melina Mallos is Visual Art Education Lecturer within the Melbourne Graduate School of Education at the University of Melbourne. She was formerly the Education Manager at the Museum of Chinese Australian History in Melbourne’s Chinatown.
For 15 years, Melina was responsible for developing education programs for families, schools and teachers at the Queensland Art Gallery ı Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA). She holds a Bachelor of Education in Early Childhood, a Master of Education (Research) and was a Queensland-Smithsonian Fellow 2009-2010.
Her debut children’s bilingual book, Catch that Cat!, received wide acclaim both nationally and overseas. Whilst teaching at Melbourne University, Melina is finishing her PhD. Her research explores the way new media usage shapes the identities and sense of belonging for Greek migrant youths living in Melbourne.
Fotini Kypraios:
Fotini is the Founder and Principal Lawyer at Prisma Legal, a boutique commercial legal practice, specialising in corporate legal and governance advisory services where she has over 20 years’ experience advising clients in range of legal areas, including litigation, management, international tax consulting, governance and commercial legal issues.
Fotini holds Bachelors degrees from Monash University in Arts and Law, and is the Board Chair of the Hellenic Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (HACCI) where she actively mentors young professionals.
Fotini was awarded her Graduate Diploma of Applied Corporate Governance in 2012 by the Governance Institute of Australia and is a regular presenter of their governance certificate courses while also undertaking governance advisory roles for private clients and Not-For-Profit organisations.
Most recently, Fotini also joined the Faculty of Law at Monash University as a sessional supervisor of the Innovation and Start Up Law Clinic, teaching practical commercial legal skills to penultimate and final year law students.
Anatoli Amanatides:
Anatoli has been with the University of Melbourne since 2015 and worked across a number of different departments across Student Services, Research and is currently an International Agreements Adviser in the University’s Chancellery division. She also co-owns Eleni’s Kitchen and Bar in Yarraville, with her sister Eleftheria.
She has also worked with a range of culturally and linguistically diverse organisations including the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry – Japanese Society of Melbourne and ethno-specific service provider, Pronia, where she was also the youngest person elected to the Board of Directors (2016-2020).
Anatoli holds a Master of International Relations and a Bachelor of Arts (Majors in Japanese and Political Sciences) from the University of Melbourne.
Alkisti Pitsaki:
Alkisti is a young artist from Athens, Greece, that began her career as a singer/ actor on stage and TV. Upon graduating with a BA(Hons) in Theatre Arts and receiving an award for Best Graduating Artist, Alkisti directed self-written shows in Greece and Australia.
As a director, Alkisti focuses on physical theatre plays and works that explore political and social issues, such as war and violence. Since moving to Australia, Alkisti has worked on professional shows at Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) and as a directing intern at “Harry Potter and The Cursed Child.”
Alkisti is now focusing on her roots and aims to create performances based on Ancient Greek myths and other Greek stories.
In 2021, Alkisti graduated with a Masters in Theatre Directing from the VCA. Her graduating piece Αριάδνη / Ariadne was a self-written, bilingual audio play that explored the ancient myth of Αριάδνη / Ariadne of Crete. Alkisti aims to bring Ariadne to Melbourne as a live performance later this year.
Event Details:
When: Thursday 17 March, 7.00pm
Venue: Mezzanine level, The Greek Centre, 168 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne
George Volikas, 85, and his wife Dimitria, 80, returned to their Oakville home in northwest Sydney over the weekend to find that they had lost everything.
The couple had lived with their daughter Irene Connelley and her husband Frank for 35 years, occupying the bottom floor of their house near the Hawkesbury River.
Mrs Connelley was helping her parents clean up their home on Sunday when she was interviewed by The Australian. She said they weren’t prepared for last week’s flood crisis, which saw waters peaking in the area at a record 13.74 metres on March 9.
Dimitria and George Volikas outside their home last year reading The Greek Herald.
“This is their livelihood – it’s literally everything – nothing of theirs has survived – no heirloom, nothing,” Mrs Connelley said in the interview.
“[My dad] is devastated – he can’t believe this has happened to him after everything we’ve been through.”
The Volikas’ are currently staying at Westmead for one week in temporary accommodation, but after that they aren’t sure where they will live.
Wilberforce butcher Dean Diasinos in his store, which was completely flooded after being renovated last year post-floods. Picture: Sam Ruttyn.
Elsewhere, Wilberforce butcher, Dean Diasinos, also told The Daily Telegraph how his shop was completely flooded last week after being renovated post-floods last year.
He said he was still cut off from his wife and children on the other side of the Hawkesbury River.
This devastation comes as NSW Premier, Dominic Perrottet, promised a review into the State Emergency Service’s response to the flood disaster on the NSW north coast on Sunday.
Prominent Greek American businessman, George Tsunis, has been officially confirmed by the United States Senate as the next US Ambassador to Greece.
The confirmation came after a late-night vote in the US Senate on March 10.
During the vote, Mr Tsunis said that as Ambassador he will aim to strengthen Greek-American relations and will focus on accelerating trade and investment opportunities between Greece and the US.
Mr Tsunis will also work on strengthening energy cooperation between both countries and encourage Greece to invest in renewable energy sources and projects aimed at regional energy security.
On behalf of the U.S. Mission in Greece, we offer sincere congratulations to George J. Tsunis on his Senate confirmation to be the next U.S. Ambassador to Greece. We look forward to welcoming you and working together to advance our many shared goals in Greece. Συγχαρητήρια! pic.twitter.com/vaLnGFjMSB
In a post on Twitter, the US Mission in Greece said it “looks forward to welcoming you and working together to advance our many shared goals in Greece.”
Mr Tsunis’ appointment to this ambassadorial post comes at a critical time not only because of the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, but also because Greece and the US are currently in the midst of likely the most “warm” period of relations between the two countries in living memory.
Russian missiles hit a large Ukrainian base near the border with NATO member Poland on Sunday, killing 35 people and wounding 134, a Ukrainian official said.
An American journalist and filmmaker was also shot and killed on Sunday – the first Western journalist confirmed dead in the conflict.
These latest attacks come as Ukraine reported renewed air strikes on an airport in the west, heavy shelling on Chernihiv north-east of the capital and attacks on the southern town of Mykolayiv.
Just 34 km from the @Nato borders! It's Novoyavorivsk town, Lviv region after severe night missiles attack! 9 people were reported killed and 57 wounded after this attack on a small town. pic.twitter.com/MmB4MrKPUJ
Authorities in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv are also stockpiling two weeks’ worth of essential food items for the two million people who have not yet fled as Russian forces encircle the city.
Elsewhere, the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol has endured some of Ukraine’s worst punishment since Russia invaded.
Unceasing Russian attacks have thwarted repeated attempts to bring food, water and medicine into the city of 430,000 and to evacuate its trapped civilians.
More than 1,500 people have died in Mariupol during the siege, according to the mayor’s office, and the shelling has even interrupted efforts to bury the dead in mass graves.
There is a strong Greek presence in Mariupol and the Greek Consul General Manolis Androulakis is still in the area, Greek officials have confirmed.
This has led the Greek Foreign Ministry to call for the creation of more humanitarian corridors from cities in Ukraine “in order to ensure the supply of the civilian population, as well as the possibility of their escape to safer areas.”
«Καλούμε όλους να σεβαστούν το ανθρωπιστικό δίκαιο και να αποφευχθεί η στοχοποίηση του αμάχου πληθυσμού. Η 🇬🇷 καταβάλει κάθε δυνατή προσπάθεια προς αυτή την κατεύθυνση» (από την ανακοίνωση του @GreeceMFA για τη δημιουργία ανθρωπιστικών διαδρόμων στην 🇺🇦) https://t.co/wgYGZGwHsR
So far, Greece has repatriated nearly 200 of its own nationals from Kyiv, Mariupol and Odessa. Over 4,600 refugees from Ukraine have also reached Greece since the Russian invasion, including over 1,400 children.
The leaders of Greece and Turkey held talks over lunch in Istanbul on Sunday in a rare meeting between the neighbouring countries, which have been at odds over maritime and energy issues, the status of Aegean islands and migration.
Russia’s recent invasion of Ukraine was also discussed.
President @RTErdogan met with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis of Greece at Vahdettin Mansion.
The meeting marked that Türkiye and Greece had a special responsibility in the European security architecture, which was changing with Russia's attack on Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/ocuH050eip
— Republic of Türkiye Directorate of Communications (@Communications) March 13, 2022
“Despite the disagreements between Turkey and Greece, it was agreed at the meeting to keep communication channels open and to improve bilateral relations,” the Turkish statement said.
“Pointing out that Turkey and Greece have a special responsibility in the changing European security architecture with Russia’s attack on Ukraine, the meeting focused on the mutual and regional benefits of increasing cooperation between the two countries.”
Greece and Turkey are nominal NATO allies but have strained relations over competing maritime boundary claims that affect energy exploration rights in the eastern Mediterranean.
Greece has also accused Turkey of allowing migrants to cross its land and sea borders despite a deal with the European Union to prevent illegal crossings.
Erdogan told Mitsotakis during the meeting that “with the goal of starting a new page in bilateral relations,” Greece and Turkey can make headway on issues like the Aegean, minorities, combating terrorism and migration.
PM to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew: Meeting with Erdogan hopefully went well
Later in the day, Mitsotakis expressed his belief that his meeting with Erdogan went well to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew when the two met at the Greek Consulate in Istanbul on Sunday.
Στη συνάντηση με την ΑΘΠ τον Οικουμενικό Πατριάρχη κ.κ. Βαρθολομαίο εξέφρασα τη συγκίνησή μου για την ευκαιρία που μου δόθηκε σήμερα, Κυριακή της Ορθοδοξίας, να βρεθώ μαζί του στην κοίτη της Ορθοδοξίας, στο Φανάρι, ενώ τον ενημέρωσα για τη συνάντησή μου με τον Πρόεδρο Ερντογάν. pic.twitter.com/DgAtHGHuRT
“I must tell you, it was a meeting that took place in a good atmosphere. I hope we agreed we face so many challenges as humanity and as two NATO allies at this time that it is more important to focus on what unites us and less than on what divides us,” Mitsotakis told the Patriarch when they met.
The Greek Prime Minister said he believes “we set the foundations to improve our relations,” and added that if there was good progress, Greece might organise a High-Level Cooperation Council meeting in autumn. This was a mechanism the two countries set up in 2010 for their rapprochement.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, center, talks to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, after attending a ceremony for Orthodox Christians at the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople in Istanbul. Photo: AP Photo/Emrah Gurel.
In response, Patriarch Bartholomew said “every step to build mutual trust between the two governments and the two peoples fills us with joy.”
This meeting between Mitsotakis and the Patriarch came after the Greek Prime Minister also attended a service for Orthodox Christians at the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople earlier in the day.
